The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-05
A DEMOCRATIC OFFICERS TRICK
How the Missing Senate Minutes Turned Up
in the Secretary Of States Office.

The Sentinel yesterday morning stated that
John 2. Carter, the assistant secretary of the
Senate, had visited the Secretary OF States Of
fee and found among the records the minutes of
the last days proceedings of the Senate after
Secretary Griffin had asserted that they had
never been fled in his Office. When Mr.. Griffin
was asked yesterday by Journal reporter how
much truth there was in the Sentinel's state
ment he said:
when Mr.. Carter, the assistant secretary Of
the Senate, brought in the Senate journal he
stated to my clerk. to whom they were delivered.
that the last days proceedings were not yet COM
pleted, but would be brought in on the following
Monday. On the following Monday he came IT,
and promised to deliver the last day 9
proceedings in two or three days, but never did
so, and they were never file in this Office until
yesterday morning. Many inquiries made
Tor the Senate journal. and especially the last
days proceedings. and no less than twenty-five
men examined the manuscript of the Senate
journal filed by mr.. Carter. personally exam
ined every page. and / had Mr.. Bookwalter,
clerk of the Printing Bureau examine them
page by page, to find the record of that days
proceedings, but it was not there Mr. Draper,
personally examined the manuscript to find the
resolution introduced on the last day OF the
Senate, appointing him official stelographer, but
failed TO find it. So anxious / that that
days proceedings of the Senate should be filed,
the law requires, that | procured from Mr..
Burford, State printer. for examination, copy
of that days proceedings. which had been left
with him for publication, and Immediately wrote
Mr. Carter. assistant secretary of the Senate.
and Webster Dixon. Secretary of the Senate,
calling their attention TO the fact that
that days Senate journal not on
file here, and requesting that the same
be filed in this Office in compliance with the law.
Yesterday morning Mr. Carter came in before
had arrived at the Office. and in connection with
my deputy, Mr. Young. examined the manu-
script of the Senate journal. which file,
but failed TO find the last days proceedings, and
then. while Mr. Young's attention called in
another direction, Mr.. Carter suddenly discov-
the proceedings for the month of January-ar
least. so he says-and then, of course. jubilantly
exclaimed, Il have found it, and produced the
missing document. Soon afterwards | came in,
stating that that days proceedings had been
flied on the 9th of March, which | very politely
declined to do, but gave him, instead the follow
ing receipt
May 8. 1887.
The last days proceedings of the Senate
filed in my Office CHAs. T. GRIFFIN,
Secretary of State.
II said to him them and 1 now reiterate it.
that the journal of the last days proceedings of
the Senate never on file in this Office until
yesterday. The missing document undoubtedly
came into this Office yesterday morning, stimuli
taneously with the appearance of Mr.. Carter"
THE Sentinel charges that you entered into
conspiracy to suppress that days proceedings.
Had desired to suppress it, l would neither
have written Mr. Carter nor Mr.. Dixon demand
ing that it be fled here. There is nothing in
the journal of the late Senate which Republicans
need have any desire to suppress: but it contains
much that Democrats would be only too glad to
have blotted out. / was determined that every
page of the record of their infamy should be
placed file this Office as the laws require
fed, and the Sentinel is correspondingly I'M
happy